No-One But You (The Zephyr Endeavor) - Part 2
Chapter 55: Extra Dry, Extra Olives (Part 5)
Ezekiel Stane had a hard time opening his eyes, but he had to see where he was taken…
Wade Wilson didn't notice, but the baby Jackal meant it when he said that he was going to pass out. He did pass out… and Zephyr set coordinates to escape the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, but Ezekiel noticed that those plans were suddenly intercepted.
…
Now, he was… somewhere, and the quiet coyote could tell that he was lying down on some sort of … table.
Ezekiel mentally woke up from an unexpected cat nap… then he heard some tinkering sounds somewhere toward his left. His eyes wouldn't open for some reason… but Ezekiel's mind started piecing together anything that it could about his surroundings.
His mind took in the sounds, smells… all of it. Someone was working on something…and let's see… who ever could it be?
…
"Jarvis… how much more do we have to work with around this region here… and what's it called again?"
…
"Sir, the final area is called the Hypothalamus, and you've contained 86 percent of the Mind Stone at this point…"
…
"Groovy. Keep the prince of darkness on ice for now Jarv. I'm seeing some activity… and we can't have him waking up."
…
"Certainly sir."
…
Say what? Ezekiel heard Tony Stark's voice, and it didn't take him long to figure out what the other inventor was referencing. The hypothalamus was a section of the human brain that keeps the body in a stable state…
It regulates temperature, hunger, thirst, and even a person's sex drive… so…. what the fuck was Tony doing to his brain? Ezekiel was unable to friggen ask.
Jarvis was instructed to "keep him on ice" and the baby Jackal definitely heard Tony call him the prince of darkness. They really needed to have a conversation at some point in their lives… but that obviously wasn't on someone's agenda.
…
A deep sleep took over Ezekiel's body after some time. His body and mind were put back on ice until Tony's device was complete.
The brunette created something that would extract the Mind Stone at will, and the item he made for Ezekiel Stane was truly one of a kind.
Tony eventually stood up from his work, and he ran a number of tests after the Infinity Stone was removed from Ezekiel's mind. He had to break the Stone down even further before he could extract it, but now it was contained, removable, and ready for transport if need be.
When he finally got the okay from Jarvis, Tony released the hold he had on Ezekiel's mind. He let go of that control, and he let the somber Jackal wake up in his own time.
Who knows how long it took, and the brunette didn't ask… because he had no intention of leaving the room.
Tony had everything he needed there in his fancy workshop. He took a shower after Ezekiel first arrived, and he had Jarvis microwave him up some food an hour ago, so…
He simply waited for the spawn of Satan to wake up and leave, because his chore list for Stephen Strange was finally complete.
Buuuuuttttt…. Tony couldn't have S.H.I.E.L.D.'s precious pet leaving with half a brain or something… so Tony waited around to make sure everything was kosher before he kicked Ezekiel out of his lab.
….
Ohhhh… there you go. Hello prince of darkness. Tony watched Ezekiel Stane sit up from afar, and he started eating his meal again as Obadiah's baby boy removed himself from Tony's makeshift operating table.
Ezekiel realized that he was placed behind some sort of thick wall of glass. Was it glass? Tony worked on his brain from a distance, and he kept Ezekiel locked up in a cryo-tube just in case the devil's spawn woke up and freaked….
…
"In case you're wondering why you're here… I've been put to task on something Infinity Stone related, oh, and I made you a crown."
…
A crown fit for a prince, and Tony thought it was perfect. He kept eating something as he spoke to Ezekiel Stane, but the baby Jackal was still processing where he was and what he heard.
A crown? Fuck off. The notion of Tony Stark making him a "crown" was… annoying. It bothered Ezekiel, but he swallowed down what he wanted to say.
Tony watched him slowly stand up, and Ezekiel supported his body by leaning on the table beside him. The Jackal's eyes were finally open at that point too, and he could see Tony Stark… plain as day.
…
"And, Zephyr? What did you do with him?"
…
"I disabled him. You can have Zephyr back after you leave…"
…
And, you're free to go. Tony didn't mention that part yet, because he placed a fork full of food in his mouth. A thought struck Tony's mind about the last time he "spent time" with Ezekiel Stane.
Yeahhhhhh… and that happened next to NEVER, so the feisty brunette inwardly told himself that it was time to wrap shit up. There was no impact to report, and Tony triple checked that shit and scanned Ezekiel for damage a million times.
That's the beauty of nano-tech… it isn't invasive, and it slipped in without leaving a trace. SO, Ezekiel's crown was set there on the table beside him, and the prince of darkness could take it and leave.
…
"I've been meaning to talk to you, actually, about Wade Wilson's body? He said that he lost the device you gave him… but his skin… it's…healed entirely?"
…
TCH. No talking. Tony closed his eyes for a sec, because he really didn't want to entertain a conversation with Ezekiel. Yeah, no thanks… Tony was good with them not talking…ever.
…
"And… I wanted to talk to you, about Steve Rogers? I know you must have intercepted my thoughts, when I last used the Mind Stone."
…
Ezekiel could tell, and he could definitely feel a difference in Tony's behavior toward him… since his thoughts were brought out in the open. There's no denying it.
Tony was clearly upset with him, but the baby Jackal needed the two of them to talk, hash it out, and possibly clarify what it all meant.
Ezekiel had no intention of leaving either, not until something was finally discussed.
…
Chapter: END
Thanks for reading.